Methods for fabricating sub-resolution alignment marks on semiconductor structures and semiconductor structures including same

ABSTRACT

A method of fabricating semiconductor structures comprising sub-resolution alignment marks is disclosed. The method comprises forming a dielectric material on a substrate and forming at least one sub-resolution alignment mark extending partially into the dielectric material. At least one opening is formed in the dielectric material. Semiconductor structures comprising the sub-resolution alignment marks are also disclosed.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to the fabrication ofsemiconductor structures and devices and, more specifically, to methodsfor forming sub-resolution alignment marks in or on a dielectricmaterial of the semiconductor structures and devices, and to theresulting semiconductor structures and devices.

BACKGROUND

In fabricating semiconductor devices, interconnects that transmitsignals from a circuit side of a substrate, which is also conventionallyreferred to as the “active surface,” to a back side of the substrate aresometimes utilized. Interconnects that extend through the substrate fromthe circuit side to the back side are sometimes referred to as throughinterconnects. During fabrication of the semiconductor devices at thewafer level, through interconnects are sometimes referred to asthroughwafer interconnects (“TWI”) or throughsilicon interconnects. Thethrough interconnects are typically metal-filled vias formed in thesubstrate and are configured and positioned to electrically connectintegrated circuits on the circuit side to electrical elements on theback side. The back side includes terminal contacts in electricalcommunication with the through interconnects, sometimes directly andsometimes through redistribution conductors.

As semiconductor devices become smaller and have higher input/outputconfigurations, semiconductor manufacturers must fabricate throughinterconnects having increasingly smaller sizes and pitches withoutcompromising performance. Through interconnects having a high electricalconductivity and a low parasitic capacitance provide the bestperformance. In addition to having good performance characteristics, itis advantageous for though interconnects to be capable of fabrication atthe wafer level using conventional equipment and conventional processes.It is also advantageous to utilize as few process acts as possible inthe fabrication of the semiconductor device to minimize costs and reducedefects. Conventional metal-filled through interconnects utilizemultiple photopatterning acts, and may include both front side and backside processing. For example, the terminal contacts and pads for theterminal contacts are made separately utilizing multiple photopatterningacts, which adds considerable cost to the overall fabrication costs.

In order to achieve circuit continuity, a wafer upon which thesemiconductor devices are ultimately to be formed is carefully alignedwith a reticle or mask before conducting the photopatterning acts.Alignment is conventionally accomplished using a wafer stepper oraligner, which transfers a desired pattern from the reticle or mask ontoa material present on the wafer. The wafer stepper uses alignment marks,also characterized as fiducials, on the wafer as a reference point toprecisely align the reticle or mask to previously-formed materials onthe wafer. The alignment marks are typically formed on unused portionsof the wafer, such as along a peripheral edge of the wafer or nearscribe lines that separate locations of individual semiconductor dice,by etching a pattern of trenches in the underlying layer with a knownorientation and spatial relationship. The wafer stepper typically useslight with a fixed wavelength to detect the position of the alignmentmarks on the wafer.

While conventional alignment processes are efficacious for manyapplications, these alignment processes are not reliable for back sideprocessing of semiconductor devices having terminal contacts on the backside. Back side processing typically includes patterning and curing of adielectric material on the back side of the substrate. The dielectricmaterial functions as an etch mask for forming deep vias in thesubstrate. Openings, other than the vias, that extend through thedielectric material and expose underlying or overlying materials, suchas any alignment marks, transfer to the substrate during subsequentprocessing acts, causing downstream processing issues. In addition, if ametal seed layer is present on the back side, then infrared (“IR”)alignment techniques can not be used to align the front side alignmentmarks. IR techniques are currently used for back side alignment becausethe silicon substrate is transparent, which enables back side alignmentusing the alignment marks on the circuit side of the wafer. However, themetal seed material is not transparent to IR and, therefore, the metalseed material prevents subsequent alignment during the back sideprocessing. To address this problem, unique vias or sets of unique viascan be formed on he back side of the substrate and used as alignmentmarks. These vias have a unique shape and pattern compared to other viaspresent on the substrate or on adjacent semiconductor dice. However,forming and detecting the unique vias in a consistent manner has provento be an unreliable technique, leading to misalignment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1H are schematic, cross-sectional views during various stagesof fabrication of forming semiconductor structures and semiconductordevices in accordance with embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2A is a schematic bottom view of embodiments of the semiconductorstructures and semiconductor devices m accordance with embodiments ofthe invention taken along line 2A-2A of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2B is a schematic plan view of the semiconductor structure inaccordance with embodiments of the invention taken along line 2B-2B ofFIG. 1C;

FIG. 2C is a schematic plan view of the semiconductor structures andsemiconductor devices in accordance with embodiments of the inventiontaken along line 2C-2C of FIG. 1F; and

FIGS. 3A-3C are schematic views of alignment mark patterns formed on thesemiconductor structures and semiconductor devices in accordance withembodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A method of fabricating a semiconductor structure including a pluralityof sub-resolution alignment marks is disclosed, as are semiconductorstructures including the sub-resolution alignment marks. As used herein,the term “sub-resolution alignment marks” means and includes trenches,lines, bumps, ridges, or other features on the semiconductor structurehaving at least one dimension (e.g., width, length, or diameter) that issized below a resolution limit, for a given wavelength of light, of amaterial on which or in which the features are formed. Thesub-resolution alignment marks may be formed in the material atsubstantially the same time as other openings in the material, reducingthe number of processing acts utilized to fabricate the semiconductorstructure. To prevent transfer of he sub-resolution alignment marks intounderlying materials, a portion of the material in which thesub-resolution alignment marks are formed remains over he underlyingmaterials, protecting the underlying materials from subsequentprocessing acts.

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which is shown byway of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may bepracticed. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail toenable a person of ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention.It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and thatstructural, logical, and electrical changes may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. The drawingspresented herein are not meant to be actual views of any particularsemiconductor structure or fabrication process thereof, but are merelyidealized representations that are employed to describe the embodimentsof the invention. Additionally, elements common between drawings mayretain the same numerical designation.

The following description provides specific details, such as materialtypes, material thicknesses, and processing conditions in order toprovide a thorough description of embodiments of the invention. However,a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that theembodiments of the invention may be practiced without employing thesespecific details. Indeed, the embodiments of the invention may bepracticed in conjunction with conventional semiconductor fabricationtechniques employed in the industry. In addition, the descriptionprovided below does not form a complete process flow for manufacturing asemiconductor structure or a semiconductor device, and the semiconductordevices described below do not form a complete electronic device. Onlythose process steps and semiconductor structures or semiconductordevices necessary to understand the embodiments of the invention aredescribed in detail below. Additional processing acts to form a completesemiconductor device from the semiconductor structures or to form acomplete electronic device from the semiconductor device may beperformed by conventional fabrication techniques.

The materials described herein may be formed by any suitable depositiontechnique including, but not limited to, spin coating, blanket coating,chemical vapor deposition (“CVD”), atomic layer deposition (“ALD”),plasma enhanced ALD, or physical vapor deposition (“PVD”).Alternatively, the materials may be grown. Depending on the specificmaterial to be formed, the technique for depositing or growing thematerial may be selected by a person of ordinary skill in the art. Whilethe materials may be formed as layers, the materials are not limitedthereto and may be formed in other configurations.

The semiconductor device 2 (see FIGS. 1H and 2C) formed by embodimentsof the invention may be an imager device that is configured forillumination of a sensor array and the pixels therein. While thedescription and drawings describe and illustrate embodiments of theinvention in regard to back end processing of the imager device, thesemiconductor device 2 may be an electronic signal device (i.e., amicroprocessor) or a memory device including, but not limited to, avolatile memory device (e.g., a DRA device) and non-volatile memorydevices (e.g., a Flash memory device). By way of non-limiting example,embodiments of the invention may also be used to form a back sideredistribution layer (“RDL”) on a DRAM device. However, embodiments ofthe invention may also be used in so-called “front end” or “front side”processing, such as metal plating or alignment processes.

Fabricating the semiconductor structures 4A, 4B (see FIGS. 1C and 1D)may include fabrication acts substantially similar to those described inU.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/635,902, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEMFOR FABRICATING SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS WITH THROUGH INTERCONNECTS ANDBACK SIDE REDISTRIBUTION CONDUCTORS,” filed Dec. 8, 2006, the disclosureof which application is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirely. The semiconductor structures 4A, 4B may be fabricated asillustrated in FIGS. 1A-1D, which are partial, cross-sectional views ofa work piece 10 during various processing acts during the fabrication ofthe semiconductor structure 4A, 4B. The semiconductor structures 4A, 4Bmay be further processed, as illustrated in FIGS. 1E-1H, to produce thesemiconductor device 2. A plurality of semiconductor devices 2 may besimultaneously fabricated side-by-side on and/or in the substrate 14.However, for purposes of illustration, only a portion of the work piece10 that is to include a single semiconductor device 2 is illustrated inFIGS. 1A-2C. The work piece 10 may, in actuality, include the pluralityof semiconductor devices 2, which are subsequently singulated from thework piece 10 to provide the plurality of individual and discretesemiconductor devices 2.

The work piece 10 may include a substrate 14, an image sensor die (orimage sensor package) having an imager pixel array 16, a plurality ofintegrated circuits 18 m the imager pixel array 16, an electricalinsulation material 30, and a plurality of substrate contacts 26, asillustrated in FIG. 1A. Additional integrated circuits (not shown) maybe present on other regions of the substrate 14, such as for processingimage data. The substrate 14, imager pixel array 16, integrated circuits18, electrical insulation material 30, and substrate contacts 26 may beformed by conventional techniques, which are not described in detailherein. As used herein, the term “substrate” means and includes aconventional silicon substrate or other bulk substrate comprising alayer of semiconductive material. As used herein, the term “bulksubstrate” means and includes not only silicon wafers, but alsosilicon-on-insulator (“SOI”) substrates, such as silicon-on-sapphire(“SOS”) substrates and silicon-on-glass (“SOG”) substrates, epitaxiallayers of silicon on a base semiconductor foundation, and othersemiconductor or optoelectronic materials, such as silicon-geranium,germanium, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, or indium phosphide. Thesubstrate 14 includes a front surface 22 and a back surface 24 on anopposing side of the front surface 22. The front surface 22 may be anactive surface of the substrate 14 and, thus, includes active regionsincluding, but not limited to, the imager pixel array 16 and theintegrated circuits 18. The front surface 22 of the substrate 14 issometimes referred to in the art as the so-called “front side” and theback surface 24 is sometimes referred to in the art as the so-called“back side.” The terms including, but not limited to, “front,” “back,”“outer,” “upper,” “underlying,” and “overlying” are used in thisdescription of the invention for convenience. These terms are used todenote relative directions, positions, and orientations of featuresdepicted in the drawings, and are not in reference to gravity. Forexample, the work piece 10 or semiconductor structures 4A, 4B may, inpractice, be oriented in any suitable direction during fabrication oruse. The front surface 22 and the back surface 24 are substantiallyplanar and are substantially parallel to one another.

During fabrication, a wafer 20 that includes a plurality ofsubstantially identical substrates 14 (see also FIG. 2A) may be used.Individual semiconductor devices 2 may be produced from each of thesubstrates 14 of the wafer 20. The wafer 20 may be a so-called “fullthickness” wafer or a so-called “thinned” wafer, from which asubstantial thickness of wafer material has been removed from the backside. Streets or scribe areas 36 between adjacent substrates 14 areindicated by a vertical line (see FIGS. 1A-1H) and spaces on the wafer20 (see FIG. 2A). The substrate 14 may also be present on a panel, aleadframe, or a circuit board including multiple substrates 14.

The substrate contacts 26 may be in electrical communication with theintegrated circuits 18. The substrate contacts 26 may include bond padsor redistribution contacts (i.e., contacts formed in conjunction with anRDL). The substrate contacts 26 may be formed from a conductive,bondable metal, such as aluminum or copper, or from multiple metals,such as aluminum-nickel-gold, aluminum-nickel-solder, copper-palladium,or aluminum-copper. For simplicity, only one substrate contact 26 isillustrated on the work piece 10 in FIG. 1A, and only eight substratecontacts 26 are illustrated on the work piece 10 in FIG. 2A. However,the work piece 10 may, in actuality, include from tens to hundreds ofsubstrate contacts 26 arranged in a desired configuration, such as acenter array, an edge array, or an area array. Also, while the substratecontacts 26 are illustrated as having a generally square peripheraloutline (see FIG. 2A), the substrate contacts 26 may have any polygonalshape including, but not limited to, square, rectangular, circular,triangular, or oval. A size of the substrate contacts 26 may be selectedas desired based on the intended use for the semiconductor structures4A, 4B. By way of non-limiting example, the substrate contacts 26 mayhave a width on each side of from approximately 5 μm to approximately200 μm. The substrate contacts 26 may be substantially planar pads orlands, or may have other shapes including, but not limited to,projections in the form of bumps, studs, pillars, or volcano-likeshapes.

The electrical insulation material 30 may be formulated and positionedto electrically insulate the integrated circuits 18, additionalintegrated circuits outside the imager pixel array 16, and otherelectrical elements from the remainder of the substrate 14. Theelectrical insulation material 30 may be formed, by way of non-limitingexample, from borophosphosilicate glass (“BPSG”), silicon dioxide(“SiO₂”), or a polyimide. For simplicity, the substrate contacts 26 areillustrated as being located on the electrical insulation material 30.However, internal conductors (not shown) may provide electrical pathsbetween the substrate contacts 26 and the integrated circuits 18,between the substrate contacts 26 and the additional integrated circuitsoutside of the imager pixel array 16, and between the substrate contacts26 and other electrical elements.

Spacers 32 may be formed on the front surface 22 of the substrate 14, asillustrated in FIG. 1B. In addition, a wafer scale carrier 28 may,optionally, be attached to the front surface 22 of the substrate 14. Forsome applications, such as processing of a full thickness wafer, thewafer scale carrier 28 may be eliminated. The size and geometry of hespacers 32 may be selected by a person of ordinary skill in the art. Thespacers 32 may be formed from an electrically insulating materialincluding, but limited to, a polymer, glass, or ceramic. The spacers 32may be formed on the substrate contacts 26 by conventional techniques.Alternatively, an adhesive material (not shown) may be used to attachthe wafer scale carrier 28, if present, to the front surface 22 of thesubstrate 14. The wafer scale carrier 28 may be formed from a glass orsilicon material having a selected thickness and a selected peripheraloutline. Since many of the subsequent processing acts are conducted fromthe back surface 24 of the substrate 14, the wafer scale carrier 28 mayprovide protection for the front surface 22 of the substrate 14, inaddition to providing support. The spacers 32 and wafer scale carrier 28may be removed after the subsequent processing acts are conducted,

A portion of the substrate 14 may be removed from he back surface 24 toform substrate 14′, which is a so-called “thinned” substrate. Thesubstrate 14 may have a thickness of up to approximately 700 μm. Theportion of the substrate 14 may be removed by conventional techniques,such as by a mechanical planarization process, a chemical planarizationprocess, a chemical mechanical planarization (“CMP”) process, or anetching process, such as a wet etch, dry etch, or plasma etch process.The substrate 14′ may have a thickness of from approximately 10 μm toapproximately 300 μm.

A dielectric material 34 may be disposed on the back surface 24 of thesubstrate 14′. The dielectric material 34 may be used as an etch mask todefine vias 44 and at least one sub-resolution alignment mark 40 (seeFIG. 1D) on the semiconductor structures 4A, 4B. Since FIGS. 1A-1H arecross-sectional views, these drawings illustrate sub-resolutionalignment mark 40 as a partial opening or trench m the dielectricmaterial 34. However, a plurality of sub-resolution alignment marks 40may be grouped together to form a pattern 42 (see FIGS. 2B, 2C, and3A-3C) of sub-resolution alignment marks 40 The dielectric material 34may be a photodefinable or photoimageable material, such as a positivetone or a negative tone photoresist material that has dielectricproperties when exposed and cured. The dielectric material 34 may beselected to have a resolution limit that is greater than the desireddimensions of the sub-resolution alignment marks 40. By way ofnon-limiting example, the dielectric material 34 may have a resolutionlimit of greater than or approximately equal to 1.0 μm. As described indetail below and illustrated in FIG. 1C, the dielectric material 34 maybe patterned to include openings 38 and the sub-resolution alignmentmarks 40. Since the resolution limit may be a function of the materialused as the dielectric material 34, the dielectric material 34 may beselected based on the desired dimensions of the openings 38 and thesubresolution alignment marks 40. The dielectric material 34 may becompatible with and adhere to the substrate 14′. In addition, thedielectric material 34 may be compatible with other materials depositedin contact with the dielectric material 34.

The dielectric material 34 may be disposed on the back surface 24 of thesubstrate 14′ by conventional techniques including, but not limited to,spincoating, blanket deposition, a dry film process, or a spray-onprocess. The dielectric material 34 may be formed on the back surface 24of the substrate 14′ at a sufficient thickness to achieve the desireddimensions of the sub-resolution alignment marks 40 and the openings 38.The thickness of the dielectric material 34 may also be sufficient toprovide substantially vertical sidewalls in the dielectric material 34,which acts as a mask during subsequent etch of the substrate 14′. Thethickness of the dielectric material 34 may also be sufficient toprovide sufficient resist budget or thickness for subsequent processingacts. By way of non-limiting example, the dielectric material 34 may beformed at a thickness of from approximately 5 μm to approximately 20 μm,such as at approximately 15 μm. If the material used as the dielectricmaterial 34 utilizes a curing act the cure conditions may be determinedby a person of ordinary skill in the an in accordance with themanufacturer's specification. Depending on the material used as thedielectric material 34, at least one of a pre-exposure bake or apost-exposure bake may also be utilized. These conditions may bedetermined by a person of ordinary skill in the art in accordance withthe manufacturer's specification.

The dimensions of the openings 38 may be formed in the dielectricmaterial 34 at a size at or above the resolution limit of the dielectricmaterial 34, while the dimensions of the sub-resolution alignment marks40 may be formed in the dielectric material 34 at a size below theresolution limit of the dielectric material 34. The dimensions of thesub-resolution alignment marks 40 may he from approximately 10% toapproximately 75% of the resolution limit of the dielectric material 34.By way of non-limiting example, sub-resolution alignment marks 40 havingdimensions of from approximately 0.4 μm to approximately 0.9 μm may beformed in the dielectric material 34. By way of non-limiting example, ifthe dielectric material 34 has a resolution limit of approximately 2 μm,the sub-resolution alignment marks 40 may be formed in the dielectricmaterial 34 at approximately 0.5 μm.

The sub-resolution alignment marks 40 may be detectable ordistinguishable by conventional alignment techniques and conventionalalignment apparatuses, such as by using a visible light alignmentapparatus in conjunction with cameras equipped with microscopes. Whilethe sub-resolution alignment marks 4 are readily visible in FIGS. 1C-1H,it is understood that, for clarity and convenience, the sub-resolutionalignment marks 40 are not drawn to scale in these drawings. As known inthe art a plurality of sub-resolution alignment marks 40 may be groupedtogether to form the pattern 42 (see FIGS. 2B, 2C, and 3A-3C) ofsub-resolution alignment marks 40 that is detectable or distinguishable.By way of non-limiting example, the pattern 42 of sub-resolutionalignment marks 40 may have dimensions of approximately 100 μm square.The sub-resolution alignment marks 40 in the pattern 42 may include aplurality of lines of dielectric material 34 separated from one anotherby spaces of from approximately 0.4 μm to approximately 10 μm. Thesub-resolution alignment marks 40 in the pattern 42 may also beseparated from one another by spaces of approximately 10 μm. The pattern42 of sub-resolution alignment marks 40 may form a so-called “+” shape,as illustrated in FIG. 3A, or the shapes illustrated in FIGS. 3B and 3CHowever, the pattern 42 of sub-resolution alignment marks 40 is notlimited to any particular shape or configuration.

The sub-resolution alignment marks 40 and the openings 38 may be formedby exposing the dielectric material 34 to energy trough a reticle (notshown) and developing the dielectric material 34. The exposure energymay depend on the material selected as the dielectric material 34 andmay be determined by a person of ordinary skill in the art in accordancewith the manufacturer's specification. The sub-resolution alignmentmarks 40 may be formed on a desired location of the dielectric material34 such that the sub-resolution alignment marks 40 do not interfere withsubsequent processing of the wafer 20. The sub-resolution alignmentmarks 40 may be formed on the periphery of the dielectric material 34 oron other locations. While FIGS. 1C-1H show the sub-resolution alignmentmarks 40 as trenches on the periphery and in the middle of the wafer 20,the sub-resolution alignment marks 40 may be formed on differentportions of the wafer 20 by appropriately configuring and positioningthe reticle. As known in the art, the reticle may include a plurality ofalignment mark apertures and a plurality of opening apertures (or aplurality of alignment mark features and a plurality of openingfeatures) of a size substantially corresponding to the desired size ofthe openings 38 and the sub-resolution alignment marks 40 to be formedin the dielectric material 34. By way of non-limiting example, thereticle may include alignment mark apertures and opening apertures ifthe dielectric material 34 upon which the sub-resolution alignment marks40 and openings 38 are to be formed is a positive photoresist material.The resulting sub-resolution alignment marks 40 may be trenches formedin the dielectric material 34. While the subsequent discussion hereinassumes that the dielectric material 34 is a positive photoresistmaterial, the dielectric material 34 may, instead, be a negativephotoresist material. If a negative photoresist material is used, thereticle may include alignment mark features and opening features, andthe resulting sub-resolution alignment marks 40 may be features, such aslines, in the dielectric material 34. The dimensions of the aliment markapertures or alignment mark features may be sized to be smaller than thedimensions of the opening apertures or opening features to form thecorresponding sub-resolution alignment marks 40 and openings 38. Sincereticles and methods of fabricating reticles to include the desiredapertures or features are known in the art, forming the reticle is notdescribed in detail herein.

Since the alignment mark apertures in the reticle are relatively small,relative to the size of the opening apertures, e exposure energy may notfully penetrate regions of the dielectric material 34 below thealignment mark apertures. As such, the dielectric material 34 below thealignment mark apertures may be partially resolved (i.e., less thanfully resolved). In other words, partial resolution of the dielectricmaterial 34 below the alignment mark apertures may be achieved byappropriately sizing the alignment mark apertures in he reticle. Sincethe opening apertures in the reticle are larger, the exposure energy maypenetrate regions of the dielectric material 34 below the openingapertures. As such, the regions of the dielectric material 34 below theopening apertures may be substantially resolved.

After exposure, the dielectric material 34 may be developed to producethe subs resolution alignment marks 40 and the openings 38. Thedevelopment conditions for the dielectric material 34 may be determinedby a person of ordinary skill in the art in accordance with themanufacturer's specification. After developing the dielectric material34, at least a portion of the partially resolved dielectric material 34remains on the substrate 14′, while the fully resolved regions of thedielectric material 34 are removed. Development may remove fromapproximately 10% to approximately 75% of a total thickness of thepartially resolved dielecic material 34 (the dielectric material 34below the alignment mark apertures), while from approximately 25% to 90%of the thickness of the dielectric material 34 remains. The openings 38may be formed on the dielectric material 34 to be in substantialalignment with the substrate contacts 26 on the front surface 22 of thesubstrate 14′. The size and shape of the openings 38 may be selectedbased on the size and shape of the substrate contacts 26. By way ofnon-limiting example, the dimensions of the openings 38 may be sized tobe slightly smaller than the dimensions of the substrate contacts 26 andmay have a circular shape or a polygonal shape.

In one embodiment, the dielectric material 34 is a positive tone or anegative tone photoresist material from JSR Micro, Inc. (Sunnyvale,Calif.) under the WPR tradename. The WPR series of photoresist materialsare in a pre-marketing phase and have limited availability. The WPRseries of photoresist materials are positive or negative photoresistshaving a low cure temperature and are capable of being formed at athickness of from approximately 5 μm to approximately 20 μm. The JSR WPRphotoresist material may be deposited on the substrate 14′ at athickness of approximately 15 μm and heated at 110° C. on a hot platefor 3.5 minutes. After the pre-bake, the JSR WPR photoresist materialmay be subjected to an exposure energy of approximately 1500 mJ/cm²through the reticle having the desired pattern and size of alignmentmark apertures and opening apertures. The alignment mark apertures mayform 0.5 μm sub-resolution alignment marks 40 on the JSR WPR photoresistmaterial. The JSR WPR photoresist material may be developed using anaqueous solution of 0.26 N tetramethylammonium hydroxide (“TMAH”) andrinsed with deionized water to form the subresolution alignment marks40. The developed portions of the JSR WPR photoresist material may becured in an oven maintained at a temperature of 120° C. for 1 hour,ramped to 150° C. at 3° C./minute, maintained at 150° C. for 30 minutes,ramped to 200° C. at 3° C./minute, maintained at 200° C. for 1 hour, andramped down to ambient temperature (approximately 25° C.) at 3°C./minute.

The ability to partially resolve the dielectric material 34 providesnumerous advantages. First, since the alignment mark apertures and theopening apertures are present on a single reticle, the sub-resolutionalignment marks 40 and the openings 38 in the dielectric material 34 maybe formed at substantially the same time. As such, the sub-resolutionalignment marks 40 may he formed without adding process acts to theoverall fabrication, which saves costs associated with conducting theseacts. Second, since the partially resolved dielectric material 34remains on the substrate 14′ (forming the sub-resolution alignment marks40), the underlying regions of the substrate 14′ are protected fromsubsequent processing acts, such as etching of the substrate 14′ andmetal deposition. Third, the partially resolved dielectric material 34provides a sufficient resist budget for the subsequent processing acts.Fourth, by partially resolving the dielectric material 34 below thealignment mark apertures, the sub-resolution alignment marks 40 are nottransferred into underlying materials, such as the substrate 14′. Incontrast, by substantially resolving the dielectric material 34 belowthe opening apertures, underlying regions of the substrate 14′ areexposed after development of the dielectric material 34. Fifth, byutilizing the partially resolved dielectric material 34 as thesub-resolution alignment marks 40, alignment accuracy may be improved byup to approximately three times relative to the alignment accuracyachieved by forming the unique vias previously describe. Sixth, sincethe sub-resolution alignment marks 40 are detectable, alignment may beautomated, which improves throughput of fabricating the semiconductorstructures 4A, 4B.

The sub-resolution aliment marks 40 and openings 38 may also be formedin the dielectric material 34 using multiple reticles and multipleexposure and development acts. By way of non-limiting example, thedielectric material 34 may he exposed to a first energy through a firstreticle having the alignment mark apertures and exposed to a secondenergy through a second reticle having the opening apertures. Thedimensions of the sub-resolution alignment marks 40 may be smaller thanthe resolution limit of the dielectric material 34. However, utilizingmultiple reticles and multiple exposure and development acts may addadditional acts to the process, increasing the time and cost offabricating the semiconductor structures 4A, 4B.

The sub-resolution alignment marks in the dielectric material 34 mayalso be formed by producing a plurality of alignment mark apertureshaving a size below the resolution limit of the exposure tool (stepperor aligner) in the reticle (not shown). The dielectric material 34 maybe exposed to energy through the alignment mark apertures in the reticleand developed, forming the sub-resolution alignment marks 40. Theexposure energy may depend on the material selected as the dielectricmaterial 34 and may be determined by a person of ordinary skill in theart in accordance with the manufacturer's specification. Since thealignment mark apertures in the reticle have a size below he resolutionlimit of the exposure tool, the exposure energy may not fully penetrateregions of the dielectric material 34 below the alignment markapertures. As such, the dielectric material 34 below the alignment markapertures may be partially resolved (i.e., less than fully resolved).

The sub-resolution alignment marks 40 may be used in subsequentalignment acts, such as aligning the semiconductor structures 4A, 4Bwith an appropriate reticle (not shown) for metal plating, asillustrated in FIGS. 1E-1H and described in more detail below. Thesub-resolution alignment marks 40 may also be used for die-to-die orfield-to-field alignment. The topography of the sub-resolution alignmentmarks 40 may be detectable or distinguishable by conventional alignmenttechniques and conventional alignment apparatuses through a conductivematerial 50 (see FIG. IF) or other overlying materials. However, thesub-resolution alignment marks 40 may be used to align the work piece 10with a reticle for other purposes, depending on the subsequentprocessing acts to be conducted. The sub-resolution alignment marks 40may also be used for multiple processing acts, if the sub-resolutionalignment marks 40 remain on the dielectric material 34.

As illustrated in FIG. 1D, the openings 38 in the dielectric material 34may be transferred into the substrate 14, forming vias 44, which are insubstantial alignment with the substrate contacts 26 on the frontsurface 22 of the substrate 14′. The vias 44 are substantiallyperpendicular (orthogonal) to the back surface 24 of the substrate 14′.The vias 4 may be formed using a wet etch process or dry etch processthat terminates at the electrical insulation material 30. The vias 44may be formed using an anisotropic wet etch process that includes anaqueous solution of potassium hydroxide (“KOH”). Alternatively, the vias44 may be formed using an isotropic wet etch process that includes anaqueous solution of hydrogen fluoride (“HF”) and nitric acid (“HNO₃”).The size of the vias 44 may substantially correspond to the size of thesubstrate contacts 26. By way of non-limiting example, the vias 44 mayhave a diameter of from approximately 5 μm to approximately 2 mm. Theelectrical insulation material 30 exposed through the vias 44 may alsobe removed, exposing an upper surface 46 of the substrate contacts 26.The electrical insulation material 30 may be removed using an etchprocess, such as an oxide dry etch process.

Sidewalls of the vias 44 may be lined with a via insulation material 48,as illustrated in FIG. 1. The via insulation material 48 may be anelectrically insulating polymer, such as a polyimide or a Parylene™polymer, or SiO₂. The via insulation material 48 may be formed by aconventional deposition technique. Excess via insulation material 48 maybe removed from the bottom of the vias 44, exposing the upper surface 46of the substrate contacts 26.

A seed material (not shown) may be formed in the vias 44 and over thedielectric material 34. By way of non-limiting example, the seedmaterial may be copper and may be deposited by PVD. As illustrated inFIG. 1F, the conductive material 50 may be formed in the vias 44 andover the dielectric material 34 and seed material, if used, to providephysical and electrical contact with the substrate contacts 26. Theconductive material 50 may be formed at a thickness of fromapproximately 1 μm to approximately 10 μm such that the vias 44 remainat least partially open. The conductive material 50 may be a metal, suchas copper, nickel, aluminum, chromium, titanium, tungsten, gold, silver,tantalum, molybdenum, or mixtures thereof, or a polymer. If theconductive material 50 is to be formed by electroless or electrolyticdeposition, a deposition mask 54 may be formed over the dielectricmaterial 34 and patterned such that portions of the deposition mask 54remain on the dielectric material 34 in locations where the conductivematerial 50 is not to be deposited. The deposition mask 54 may be formedfrom a resist material. The conductive material 50 may be formed onportions of the seed material not protected by the deposition mask 54.Alternatively, the conductive material 50 may be formed on thedielectric material 34 by CVD, PECVD, PVD, sputtering, or evaporationprocesses.

As illustrated in FIG. 1G, the deposition mask 54, if present, may beremoved from the dielectric material 34, such as by using a plasma etchor other conventional process. The underlying seed material may also beremoved, such as by using an etch process. By way of non-limitingexample, the conductive material 50 may form TWI 11, redistributionconductors 12, and terminal contact pads 52 for the terminal contacts 56(see FIGS. 1F-1H and 2C). The TWI 11 may at least partially line thesidewalls of the vias 44 and the upper surface 46 of the substratecontacts 26. As such, the TWI 11, the redistribution conductors 12, andthe terminal contact pads 52 may be formed using a single metaldeposition act. In addition, since the TWI 11 is formed from the backsurface 24, the front surface 22 of the substrate 14′ may be protectedfrom these processing acts.

As illustrated in FIG. 1H, an outer insulation material 58 may be formedover the dielectric material 34 and in the vias 44 The outer insulationmaterial 58 may substantially cover the conductive material 50 in thevias 44 and the redistribution conductors 12 (see FIG. 2C). The outerinsulation material 58 may be a low dielectric constant (“low k”)material, such as polyimide, polybenzoxazole, or benzocyclobutene. Theouter insulation material 58 may be patterned and cured to expose theterminal contact pads 52. Terminal contacts 56 or outer lead bonds(“OLB”) may be formed on the terminal contact pads 52, producingsemiconductor device 2. The terminal contacts 56 may be metal or solderballs, bumps, columns, studs or pins and may be formed by conventionaltechniques. The terminal contacts 56 may also be in electricalcommunication with the TMI 11, which form inner lead bonds (“ILB”). Inaddition, prior to forming the terminal contacts 56, under bumpmetallization materials (not shown) may be formed on the terminalcontact pads 52. After forming the terminal contacts 56, individualsemiconductor dice may be singulated from the wafer 20. The singulationmay be conducted by conventional techniques, such as by using a dicingsaw configured to dice the wafer 20 into the semiconductor die.Alternatively, the wafer may be singulated by cutting with a laser orwater jet, or by etching.

Additional acts may be utilized to process and incorporate thesemiconductor device 2 into an electronic device or system including,but not limited to, a wireless device, personal computer, digitalcamera, cellular telephone, personal digital assistant (“PDA”), or otherelectronic device. These additional processing acts are known in the artand, therefore, are not described in detail herein.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications as well asalternative forms and implementations, specific embodiments have beenshown by way of example in the drawings and have been described indetail herein. However, it should be understood that the invention isnot limited to the particular embodiments disclosed. Rather, theinvention encompasses all modifications, equivalents, and alternativesfalling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by thefollowing appended claims

1. A method of fabricating a semiconductor structure, comprising:forming a dielectric material on a substrate; forming at least onesub-resolution alignment mark extending partially into the dielectricmaterial; and forming at least one opening in the dielectric material.2. The method of claim 1, wherein forming at least one sub-resolutionalignment mark comprises depositing a photodefinable material havingdielectric properties when cured.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinforming at least one sub-resolution alignment mark and forming at leastone opening in the dielectric material comprises simultaneously formingthe at least one sub-resolution alignment mark and the at least oneopening.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein forming at least onesub-resolution alignment mark comprises sizing at least one dimension ofthe at least one sub-resolution alignment mark below a resolution limitof the dielectric material.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein sizing atleast one dimension of the at least one sub-resolution alignment markcomprises sizing the at least one dimension of the at least onesub-resolution alignment mark from approximately 10% to approximately75% of the resolution limit of the dielectric material.
 6. The method ofclaim 4, wherein sizing at least one dimension of the at least onesub-resolution aliment mark below a resolution limit of the dielectricmaterial comprises selecting the dielectric material to exhibit aresolution limit of approximately 2 μm.
 7. The method of claim 4,wherein sizing at least one dimension of the at least one sub-resolutionalignment mark below a resolution limit of the dielectric materialcomprises sizing the at least one dimension of the at least onesub-resolution alignment mark at from approximately 0.4 μm toapproximately 0.9 μm.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein forming at leastone sub-resolution alignment mark comprises exposing the dielectricmaterial through a reticle comprising at least one alignment markaperture and removing from approximately 10% to approximately 75% of atotal thickness of the exposed dielectric material.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein forming at least one sub-resolution alignment markcomprises forming at least one trench extending partially into thedielectric material.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein forming at leastone sub-resolution alignment mark comprises forming at least one lineextending partially into the dielectric material.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising extending the at least one opening in thedielectric material to form at least one via in the substrate.
 12. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising forming a conductive material inthe at least one via.
 13. The method of claim 1, further comprisingusing the at least one sub-resolution alignment mark to align asemiconductor structure comprising the dielectric material, the at leastone sub-resolution alignment mark, the at least one opening in thedielectric material, and a reticle.
 14. A semiconductor structure,comprising: a dielectric material on a substrate, the dielectricmaterial comprising at least one sub-resolution alignment mark extendingpartially therein and the dielectric material defining at least oneopening therein to expose at least a portion of the substrate.
 15. Thesemiconductor structure of claim 14, wherein the at least onesub-resolution alignment mark comprises at least one dimension below aresolution limit of the dielectric material.
 16. The semiconductorstructure of claim 14, wherein the at least one sub-resolution alignmentmark comprises at least one dimension of from approximately 10% toapproximately 75% of a resolution limit of the dielectric material. 17.The semiconductor structure of claim 14, wherein the at least onesub-resolution alignment mark comprises at least one dimension below aresolution limit of an exposure tool used to form the at least onesub-resolution alignment mark.
 18. The semiconductor structure of claim14, wherein the at least one sub-resolution alignment mark comprises atleast one dimension of from approximately 0.4 μm to approximately 0.9μm.
 19. A semiconductor structure, comprising: a dielectric material ona substrate, the dielectric material comprising at least one featureextending partially into the dielectric material; and at least one viain the substrate.
 20. The semiconductor structure of claim 19, hercomprising a throughwafer interconnect formed in the at least one via,at least one pad on the dielectric material, and at least one contact onthe at least one pad.
 21. A method of fabricating a semiconductorstructure, comprising: forming at least one alignment mark extendingpartially into a dielectric material on a substrate; forming at leastone opening in the substrate; aligning the at least one aliment markwith a reticle; and forming a metal in the at least one opening.
 22. Themethod of claim 21 wherein forming at least one alignment mark comprisesforming we at least one alignment mark on the periphery of thesubstrate.
 23. The method of claim 21, wherein forming at least onealignment mark comprises forming the at least one alignment mark onscribe areas of the substrate.
 24. A method of fabricating asemiconductor structure, comprising: exposing a dielectric material toenergy through a reticle comprising a plurality of alignment markapertures and a plurality of opening apertures; and developing thedielectric material to form at least one alignment mark extendingpartially into the dielectric material and at least one opening in thedielectric material.
 25. The method of claim 24, wherein exposing adielectric material to energy and developing the dielectric materialcomprises simultaneously forming the at least one alignment mark and theat least one opening.